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HEAD OF HER FAMILY: Kathleen Crang's funeral Will be held today, at St John's Church, in Darlington

PERSONALISED floral tributes - including sweets, a horse's head and a plate of fish and chips - have been made for a woman described by her family as the "head of the flock".

Following the death of 82-year-old Kathleen Crang, from Darlington, her family, which includes 15 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren, created the unique designs in her honour.

Despite having no experience in wreath-making, the family members set about making a tribute personal to them from artificial blooms.

Yvonne Britton, Mrs Crang's daughter, yesterday described some of the items.

She said: "She has bon-bons and chocolate eclairs, her favourite sweets.

"Someone made a handbag, because she always used to ask, Where's my handbag?' "Every morning, she used to get The Northern Echo, and the first page she would check was the death notices.

"She would always say, You'll never guess who has died' - it was a running joke.

"Her grand-daughter, Victoria, who was also her full-time carer, made a ring box to remember the time last year in Blackpool when mum dragged her round in the pouring rain looking for a heart-shaped ring."

FLORAL DESIGNS: Kathleen Crang's grandchildren with wreaths they made for her funeral

Other tributes include replications of a horse's head because Mrs Crang loved a flutter on the horses, a plate of fish and chips, a twenty pence piece, which was the amount she would give her grand-children, a bottle of lemonade, and a 5ft reconstruction of Blackpool Tower.

"There are hoards of them - all mum's special everyday things," said Mrs Britton.

"They are marvellous. The girls have never done anything like this before and it's lovely to see the thought that has gone into them."

Mrs Crang spent most of her life in Darlington.

With her late husband, Seymour, who died 25 years ago, she ran the Premier Cafe, in North Road, which stayed in the family until 2003.

One of the tributes shows a magnifying glass looking at her own death notice, which featured in The Northern Echo last week It described Mrs Crang as "a Trojan of strength when needed, a comforter when times were bad, a spitting, hissing vixen when crossed but always loving and caring protecting her brood with tenacity and dignity".

"That sums her up," said Mrs Britton.

"She had a great sense of humour.

Although she was elderly, there was not much that got past her.

"She was the head of our flock - if she said jump, all of us would jump."

Mrs Crang's funeral will take place at 1pm today, at St John's Church, in Neasham Road, Darlington. The tributes will be placed outside the church.

8:12am Tuesday 25th March 2008

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